Bag cure bacon - cure time?

[DougE]

SmokinEdge , DougE , thirdeye , You folks continue to impress me with your grasp of brining. This entire thread is a goldmine of information and explanation. I loved the historic info on Pop’s brine and how/why it was developed.

Just did my first real “dry brine by weight” today on what I’m hoping will be buckboard bacon and also some capicola. I’m too embarrassed to admit to the dry brining method I’ve been using for years. It will suffice to say I’ll be going through a lot less kosher salt for sure. I could never get the salt levels right but they were close.

My regular scale didn’t do grams in small enough increments so I had to hit Amazon for a tiny scale. The problem is now Amazon thinks I’m some kind of a drug dealer and is making some interesting purchasing suggestions. Ha!

The other two know way more than me, but glad to share what I have come to know.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

You will enjoy that dry rub (brine) this process applies the exact ingredients you want, and as a plus, slightly dries the meat in terms of moisture content. This concentrates the flavors slightly and give an incredible finished flavor. Please post your results. Enjoy.

Will do - I am going to start everything tonight (including maybe starting with a light honey coating before applying the cure and spice mixes unless you think it would stop the curing process from proceeding?) so we'll see. If I am correct, the dry brines can be ready in as little as 7 days, but I may let it go longer until the following weekend, so I'll end up with 11 or 12 days. Since I have two 5lb pieces, I'll do a different spice mix on each and see if one is tastier than the other. Stay tuned...

 

[SmokinEdge]

Will do - I am going to start everything tonight (including maybe starting with a light honey coating before applying the cure and spice mixes unless you think it would stop the curing process from proceeding?) so we'll see. If I am correct, the dry brines can be ready in as little as 7 days, but I may let it go longer until the following weekend, so I'll end up with 11 or 12 days. Since I have two 5lb pieces, I'll do a different spice mix on each and see if one is tastier than the other. Stay tuned...

I’ve done several over the years with honey, or pure maple syrup trying to build flavors. The syrup ends up just sweet, no maple. The honey ends sweet as well but had a aftertaste I didn’t care for, could not put my finger on exactly what the taste was though. I don’t like sweet bacon and was just trying these things for other friends, I’ve since given up on the syrup or honey experiments, but in my on going research, if I were to try them again I would apply the honey after the curing but before smoking. Some even dilute it a bit and run it through a spray bottle. Just let the bacon hang in the heat 1-2 hours (120-130*) to dry before starting smoke.

Good luck, and I hope you post up your results. The honey won’t mess with the cure, and the time frame of 10-12 days is good. Remember to turn the bag over every day or every other day.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

It has begun...plan to flip every other day and be ready to smoke on Feb 5

6.1 lb piece:
56g kosher salt, 42g brown sugar, 7g prague
8g garlic powder, 8g onion powder, 2g black pepper, 2g cayenne pepper

5.2 lb piece
48g kosher salt, 36g brown sugar, 6g prague
8g adobe honey rub, 5g honey stinger rub

 

[Sven Svensson]

GrumpyGriller I just put my bacon in the fridge yesterday. We’re about due the same general time. It’s my first time using the weight method so I’m hoping I don’t mess this up. I also used it on buckboard bacon instead of belly. Two new things at once. We’ll see how it goes.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

GrumpyGriller I just put my bacon in the fridge yesterday. We’re about due the same general time. It’s my first time using the weight method so I’m hoping I don’t mess this up. I also used it on buckboard bacon instead of belly. Two new things at once. We’ll see how it goes.

Good luck to both of us. My Pop's wet cure was very good. It'll be fun to compare and see what I like more, or they're both good, just different

 

[SmokinEdge]

It has begun...plan every other day and be ready to smoke on Feb 5

6.1 lb piece:
56g kosher salt, 42g brown sugar, 7g prague
8g garlic powder, 8g onion powder, 2g black pepper, 2g cayenne pepper

5.2 lb piece
48g kosher salt, 36g brown sugar, 6g prague
8g adobe honey rub, 5g honey stinger rub

View attachment 523416

Looks good. The second one will have a bit higher salt than 2.0% because the rub has salt in it, otherwise I’m in for the ride. Looking forward to the final.

 

[DougE]

I just started another buckboard a little while ago with the usual 0.25% cure#1, 1.5% salt and 0.75% sugar, and like last time, dusted it with granulated garlic and coarse black pepper after applying the cure mix. I expect the results to be about the same as usual, which may seem boring, but I like boringly repeatable results.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

Looks good. The second one will have a bit higher salt than 2.0% because the rub has salt in it, otherwise I’m in for the ride. Looking forward to the final.

BTW, I have them on a rack on top of cookie pan to let air circulate a bit. It's all wrapped in StretchTite wrap. I thought no when I flip the first time I'll wrap the pieces individually and then put on the rack, otherwise I'd have to rewrap a lot

 

[DougE]

I seal each piece in a gallon ziplock, and put them in foil pans. A lot of time, but not always, you'll get some liquid coming out of the meat at first, but it gets reabsorbed during the process. You want to keep that liquid and meat together since there will still be some cure in the liquid. That right there is the reason you keep overhauling it every day or so. It helps it cure evenly, but also helps to make sure all your cure ends up in the meat.

 

[Sven Svensson]

I’ve done several over the years with honey, or pure maple syrup trying to build flavors. The syrup ends up just sweet, no maple. The honey ends sweet as well but had a aftertaste I didn’t care for, could not put my finger on exactly what the taste was though. I don’t like sweet bacon and was just trying these things for other friends, I’ve since given up on the syrup or honey experiments, but in my on going research, if I were to try them again I would apply the honey after the curing but before smoking. Some even dilute it a bit and run it through a spray bottle. Just let the bacon hang in the heat 1-2 hours (120-130*) to dry before starting smoke.

Good luck, and I hope you post up your results. The honey won’t mess with the cure, and the time frame of 10-12 days is good. Remember to turn the bag over every day or every other day.

I’ve tried so many ways to impart maple flavor into bacon, including using extract. The results are “meh” at the most. I still find if I want maple bacon flavor the best method is to just drizze it with maple syrup right on the plate. Saves a lot money that way, too.

 

[thirdeye]

A lot of time, but not always, you'll get some liquid coming out of the meat. You want to keep that liquid and meat together since there will still be some cure in the liquid.

I add a couple of tablespoons of purified water into the bag to get the process off to a good start.

 

[DougE]

I add a couple of tablespoons of purified water into the bag to get the process off to a good start.

I haven't done that .... usually the salt is already starting to pull moisture out by the time I get it bagged.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I’ve tried so many ways to impart maple flavor into bacon, including using extract. The results are “meh” at the most. I still find if I want maple bacon flavor the best method is to just drizze it with maple syrup right on the plate. Saves a lot money that way, too.

Store bought maple bacon is stitch pumped. Meaning it’s injected. They use who knows what chemicals to create that flavor of maple, but rest assured, it’s not actually maple.
Actually, all store bought bacon is pumped for cure, and USDA limits them to 120ppm nitrite. Just so you know.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I add a couple of tablespoons of purified water into the bag to get the process off to a good start.

Frozen meat gives less moisture than fresh never frozen meat. When we do belly that we (fresh side) cut from the carcass, they make good moisture. But a Costco, or Sam’s belly makes less moisture.

 

[DougE]

Store bought maple bacon is stitch pumped. Meaning it’s injected. They use who knows what chemicals to create that flavor of maple, but rest assured, it’s not actually maple.
Actually, all store bought bacon is pumped for cure, and USDA limits them to 120ppm nitrite. Just so you know.

Also why you'll notice some water cooking out of store bacon. Pumping also adds some water weight, and that gives them more weight with less bacon.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Also why you'll notice some water cooking out of store bacon. Pumping also adds some water weight, and that gives them more weight with less bacon.

Exactly correct. This is why dry rub cure is so much more flavorful, in the process we are extracting moisture, not adding. This concentrates the cure and pork flavor. Plus the meat renders better in the pan and is actually less greasy.

 

[Sven Svensson]

Store bought maple bacon is stitch pumped. Meaning it’s injected. They use who knows what chemicals to create that flavor of maple, but rest assured, it’s not actually maple.
Actually, all store bought bacon is pumped for cure, and USDA limits them to 120ppm nitrite. Just so you know.

You can totally tell it’s a chemical and not anything real. Store bought maple bacon is horrid. I was hoping real maple syrup would do the trick but I would imagine if that did work someone would have made a recipe since maple syrup and bacon were invented.

 

[Lawyer Bob]

This also can be a problem, although not huge. If you are going to do this, place the bellies fat side to fat side. Salt, which carries or pushes the cure(nitrite) moves much slower through fat than through muscle. So keeping the meat side exposed to the cure is best. Curing is all about thickness of meat (if not injected) so 1/4” per day. A belly that is 1 1/2” thick with fat on one side will cure in about 6-7 days. 10 days is a nice buffer. If salt % is equilibrium, then 2 weeks is fine or up to 4 weeks. Just remember to leave the meat side exposed to cure.

Is it necessary to put the cure/seasoning mix on both the fat and meat sides or is it ok to put it on the meat side only since fat does not cure?

 

[SmokinEdge]

Is it necessary to put the cure/seasoning mix on both the fat and meat sides or is it ok to put it on the meat side only since fat does not cure?

I would still apply cure mix to the fat side. Salt and nitrite move through fat slower (because fat has a really low water content) but it still moves through and cure the meat layer under the fat. Look at the profile of belly bacon. It’s streaked with fat and meat layers. They all get cured. So the process is just slower when going through fat vs muscle.